This Is All We Know
by Alynna Peta
Summary: Change is good. It's healthy and natural. But no one ever said that it was easy. Or that the person that needed to change would want to. Looking back on it all, they supposed that without the others, they wouldn't have made it as far on their own. (Modern AU) (Summary will probably change as the story goes on.)
1. Chapter 1

_**I don't own RWBY but I'm sure that everyone already knows this to be true.**_

* * *

 **January 2016**

There's something oddly beautiful about a girl in front of a gravestone. The open, unhidden expression of sorrow on her face. The slightly clenched hands at her side. The dip of her head towards the cold stone before her as the gentle breeze tousled her dark hair. She was a splash of color in an otherwise dull landscape – her red cloak sticking out sorely amongst the winter background. The girl knelt down slowly, carefully before the grey stone. She knew the words there, the name on it; she'd read it more than enough times over the years to have them etched into her mind for the rest of her life. No doubt they would be.

Bringing up her left hand, she kissed her index and middle fingers before placing them just to the left of the grave's name. Then with those same fingers, she traced the carved letters slowly as if she were trying to memorize every indent on the rough surface. _Summer Rose_. Ten letters belonging to a person that could have meant so much more to her – had meant so much more to the people around her.

Her mother.

Instead, all she had was this stone on this cliff with Summer's name on it. It was a beautiful spot no matter the season, though the girl would admit that the best time to visit had to be during the fall. With the forest preparing itself for the colder months ahead, the changing colors of the leaves from green to oranges, yellows, reds, and finally brown made the trip for her so much more worth it. Unlike the cold air of the moment that had her pulling her cloak that bit closer to her body, a few months ago she would let the crimson fabric trail behind her at the whim of the breeze. She preferred the crunch of the leaves under her laced boots as she walked to looking behind her and seeing her trail in the snow as well.

It would be sometime next fall again when she'd be able to come back for another visit. She'd probably be accompanied by her sister, though the blonde would more than likely stay back a few steps to give her the space the older girl thought she needed. Maybe she would even bring her dad along, if she could get him out of the house long enough. But she didn't come here to worry about him, though he was part of the reason. No… she was here to tell a stone with her mother's name on it about her life since her last visit and the things she would hope to do between now and her next.

"Hello again… Mom."

Speaking to her 'mother' was always a bit weird. She could never tell if she was doing it right. Growing up, her dad would sometimes bring her and her sister along when he had the sudden interest in coming to see the grave. Just like she was now, he would kneel before the gravestone and touch the cold letters of Summer's name. He would speak to it just like it was another person. He would say his piece, wait, and respond – almost as if he could just hear Summer answering him. Perhaps he could. He had known her far longer than she or Yang had so maybe he knew exactly what she would say and how she would say it.

But Ruby hadn't known her. She just knew of her. She knew the stories her father would tell her about Summer, how the woman was tender, gentle with her actions. He told her how Summer would always speak so calmly and listened intently during conversations. Her father told her how Summer would care so much for everyone, showing concern for strangers and offering assistance no matter the circumstance. She would have been someone for her to look up to. Summer would have been a person she would be proud to call her mother and mean it.

But she could only learn so much about Summer through stories. Yang would try to help sometimes when their dad went into one of his moods and would close himself off for weeks at a time. Yang was two years older than her so she had time to get to know Summer, if only for a little bit. The blonde was maybe four or five at the time of Summer's death but she became so much older in the years to come. She would come to stand in as a mother figure for the girl and Ruby could never thank her enough for that. Yang would take her out to play and teach her some of the games Summer had taught her. The blonde even told her of the times she would help Summer do chores or run errands into town. Summer would always give Yang a task or teach her something new so that she could help. So that she could feel like she was doing something. Summer taught her how to be responsible safely. In turn, Yang used what she learned from their mother to raise Ruby.

So if she pretended for a moment that Yang was Summer, maybe talking to this gravestone wouldn't feel so awkward. But Yang's personality conflicted too much with how their dad described Summer's. Yang was not Summer.

"It's been a few months since we've seen each other, huh…"

Just a little over three months now if she remembered correctly. She'd last made the trek sometime at the end of last September and now it was just passed the beginning of January. She'd grown some since then; finally managing that last growth spurt she was hoping to get. Her hair had gotten longer, too, but that was only because she'd been putting off cutting it for a while now.

"Dad's been ok, you know. He probably comes to visit you a lot more than I do so there probably isn't much I can say about him that you don't already know. Yang is well… Being Yang," she chuckled, "She called me a few nights ago just to check up on me. Even as a sophomore in college, she still makes time for me. You know, she made the worst joke I've heard yet during that call. And I swear, I heard her roommate groan in the background. It was just that bad, but I won't say it because…"

She trailed off there. It was hard to hold a conversation with only one person.

"This is just awkward. I don't even know why I bother." She settled for the truth. "I come out here every few months and pretend to talk to my mom, and why? Why do I keep doing this?" She glared at the stone, "You aren't here. You are never here. You won't be here. I shouldn't be here, either. But I keep coming back because I'm lonely!

I don't have many friends because I'm not good at making them. Yang went off to college so that leaves me with dad but since I look so much like you now, he wants to spend even less time with me than he did before. Uncle Qrow doesn't come around that often. So I'm just stuck with a stone with your name on it to vent to since I don't have anyone else that will listen. And pretty soon, I won't even have this block to yell at either!"

The girl planted her hands on the ground, sinking her palms into the snow and feeling the cold seep into her limbs. She half laugh and half sighed, bowing her head so that she could look at her hands and not at the stone that could only say _Summer Rose_. What would Summer have said to that if she could answer? Would her mom be comforting? Encouraging? Would she argue? Or would she just stay quiet? It would be impossible to know. "Look I-I'm… Sorry about that. I didn't mean to make it seem like I'm mad at you. You can't help not being here and I need to learn to deal with my own problems. I just don't see the point in coming out here and basically talking to myself. If it wasn't for dad, I never would have started doing this in the first place."

She sighed as she got to her feet. "I'm just gonna go. Next time… Well, we'll see."

That was the first time she'd ever just snapped at her 'mom' before. If there was anything that had ever made her feel sillier than just talking to the gravestone – it had to be yelling at it. Her dad probably wouldn't have liked her little show of irritation. Yang probably would have played momma bear and tried to comfort her. But as it was, she embraced the silence and solitude of the moment just before she turned and walked away. She would be back again next fall.

* * *

The brief periods of fresh air between the mansion, limousine, airport, and jet weren't enough. But as she stepped out of the terminal and over to the car she'd left behind a month prior, she relished the distance between herself and her family. Throwing her luggage into her trunk, she let herself take a second to take in the freedom she once again had. She was no longer in Atlas.

This was Vale.

She could relax, if only just a little. Her father wouldn't be around to trouble her with his poorly veiled commands hidden behind what he thought were helpful suggestions. He would always come up with tasks for her to do that would benefit the family. Maybe she could stand it more if he were to be more direct with her, but his roundabout way of speaking just left her feeling put out. There was a fine line between telling her to do something and asking her to. And her father just always seemed to be treading on it.

Then there was her mother. The woman was far more distant than her father. At least her father would try to talk to her, even if it was only for her to be forced into agreeing to another one of his ideas. Their relationship was strained whereas her relationship with her mother was nonexistent. Her mother was content to leave her be. They had nothing in common so why bother? The older woman was more than happy with her routine of drinking to her heart's content in the garden without the added complications of dealing with her family. If she wouldn't try, then Weiss wouldn't either.

Outside of her parents, she supposed that she had spent most of her vacation with her brother. If anything, she thought that the boy was a lot like their father, though he was way more expressive with his body language. And a bit more direct. Whitley, like the rest of their family of five, had white hair, a pale complexion, and icy blue eyes. He was tall and lanky as a boy of his age was normally found to be and seemed awkward in his own skin. He would only get taller and she hoped for his sake that he filled out or at least got used to the added inches. Still, after the last few weeks with him, she could see just how much their father was influencing him. He would sometimes slip into the same roundabout way of speech the older Schnee had, and there was the beginning of a calculating gleam in his eyes. Whitley may have been the youngest, but in time he would soon be a force to be reckoned with.

And to make matters worse, Winter hadn't once dropped by for a visit. Though, really, she shouldn't have been surprised by that at all. Of course her sister wouldn't just pop up at the mansion for a cup of tea and a nice chat. The relationship between the older girl and their parents were just as tense, if not more so, than her own. Things just hadn't been the same between them since the day Winter had made her intentions to join the military known. Then they had only gotten worse when the older girl had gone behind their backs and enlisted. It was only days after that that Weiss had been made heir.

But with all the bad, there was some good to come out of going home for the break. She got to see Klein again. The man was just one of a number of butlers her father employed, but he was her favorite. She would miss him and his supportive attitude. She would especially miss how he would cheer her up after another talk with her father. Klein was more of a father figure than her own father. It would be spring before she'd get to see him again.

Deciding that she'd spent enough time reminiscing, Weiss started her car and turned the radio to a classical station, letting the sounds of string and percussion instruments drown out her thoughts. She could think later as she focused on unpacking and preparing for classes. Right now, she just wanted to drive and in a way, put even more distance between her and the Schnee mansion.

Weiss drove slowly. Snow had piled up everywhere, bathing the city in the white powdery substance. Snow plows had done their part in clearing the streets earlier, but she was still wary. Snow wasn't what she worried about. Snow was fine. Being from Atlas, she was accustomed to it, she'd grown up surround by it for most of the year. She knew snow as well as she knew her basic fencing techniques. And that was why she was so cautious. Because under this unassuming blanket of frost lied patches of black ice. And that was a problem.

There were a number of routes she could have taken to get back to her apartment, but she chose the one that took her through the heart of the city. It wasn't the longest route but it was far from the shortest. As she drove, going well below the speed limit, she saw that most businesses were open though the streets were mostly empty. Being a college town, most of its traffic came from the students attending university. With a week left in the break, it would appear that most of the student body had yet to return.

She smiled bitterly. She could have been one of them. But as her life was known to show her, her plans meant nearly nothing when held up against her father's wishes. With his 'assistance' she had managed to get her baccalaureate degree alongside her high school diploma. Then as a 'favor' to her future, he'd immediately assigned her a role in the family company to better prepare her for the future. Of course, he had also made his desire known that she would continue her academic career as well, though she would have to do it online. The only good thing about any of this was that she'd managed to convince him to let her move to Vale.

That conversation was one that she did not remember fondly, but most interactions with her father were occasions she tried to forget.

The town was as empty as the mansion. Weiss found that she appreciated this loneliness far more than what she felt at home. Slowing down even more, she took a right and pulled over. Just a few feet from her car rested her favorite coffee shop. The door of the small business was decorated in the common themes of red and green that most people associated with the season. The inside was cozy and welcomed her with its inviting warmth and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. It served to further relax her.

* * *

"I want to move to Vale."

Well, she did say that she would say it during dinner, but maybe blurting it out at the start wasn't her brightest of ideas. Maybe she should have started with some small talk. As it was, her parents were staring at her with clear confusion. Her mother placed the bowl of salad she was holding back on their table, bringing her hands to rest in her lap before cocking her head to the side. Her father, who would usually sit with his arms crossed across his broad chest settled for leaning his weight on his elbows as he leant forward onto the table. His eyebrows furrowed as he regarded her.

"Why would you want to do that?" He asked. His deep voice floated across the room, wrapping her both in familiar comfort and a sense of anxiety. From his expression, she could tell that he wasn't against the idea as of yet, just curious. Curious was good.

"I just want a change of pace, you know?" The girl started. She'd come up with points to argue her case over the last few months and felt that she was fully prepared for this conversation. But that confidence fled her almost as soon as the words had come from her mouth. Now she felt that she was slowly floundering. Clenching her hands in her lap under the table, where her parents couldn't see, she steeled herself. It was now or never. "I've lived in Menagerie all my life. This is all I know. But I know that there is more to Remnant than just this and I want to see it."

"But sweetheart, is moving to another kingdom really necessary? Why not just take a vacation to Vale once Spring Break hits? That should give you plenty of time to tour the city and take in the sights."

Her mom had a valid point but it wasn't anything that she hadn't thought about before. "I want to do more than just see tourist attractions. I want to get know the culture and people that live there. I want to experience what Vale has to offer at my own pace." She felt herself grow surer with every sentence. "It isn't about just that though… It's just that I've always been here. And everyone here knows me as your daughter. I want to go somewhere and be known for being me for once."

"And moving to Vale is how you want to accomplish that?" Her father asked. She'd missed the moment he'd crossed his arms, but his eyes were closed now and he was nodding his head slowly as if he'd finally figured out the mysteries of their world. "That sounds like something you'd want to do," he smiled, "You are definitely my daughter. I, too, did my fair share of traveling when I was your age."

"Is this your way of giving me permission?"

The tall man merely laughed. "Even if I don't, that wouldn't stop you, would it?"

The girl looked away bashfully. He was right. She was determined to strike out on her own one way or another. Still, having their blessings for the trip would be nice.

"Blake," her father regained her attention, "I won't stop you. I know I couldn't if I tried. You're old enough to make your own decisions and more than able enough to take care of yourself. So you have my permission to move to wherever you want, be that Vale or even Atlas. I won't say no. But as your father, at least let me help you start off."

"How would you do that?"

He looked at her seriously. "I'm sure that you know that our kind isn't appreciated everywhere which is why I'm assuming you chose to go to Vale over the other kingdoms," he paused and gauged her, "Besides Vacuo, it's the next best place for us all things considered. Once you leave Menagerie, you won't always be welcomed into places with smiles and open arms. It will be hard and you need to be able to survive. And what is the first piece of survival?"

"Having a place to stay."

"Good. Then what?"

"I would say food, but in order to get that I would need money. Actually, I need money to even find somewhere to stay for a while. So before anything else, I would need a job."

"That's my girl – brilliant as always. But finding any of those things aren't easy, and it'll be even harder on you because of your heritage. So I propose that you give me until the end of summer. Let me see what I can do for you."

That seemed easy enough to agree with. She was all set to sail out and just make due when she'd made it to dry land again, but if her dad was willing to assist her in this, then she wouldn't say no. Honestly, she'd been surprised that he'd been so supportive of the idea so far. With a wide smile, the girl stood and walked over to her father. In a rare display of affection, she threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him for all that she was worth, "Thank you."

* * *

Not for the first time was Yang rethinking her decision of staying on campus for the break. Snagging a ticket for a boat to patch would have been simple enough and she would have been home in hours. But she needed this time to herself. Her roommate wouldn't be back for a while so she was free to lounge around in her sports bra and boy shorts to her heart's content. Thankfully, the dorms were still mostly warm even though most of its occupants were out for the time being.

She reached over with her right hand and flicked the volume knob on her small radio up a few notches. No one would care if she blasted her boy band music loudly right now. More than likely, no one was around to care. Frankly the only person that would have a problem with it was the short girl currently walking somewhere out in town doing whatever it was she like to do during her free time. The blonde considered the bed on the opposite side of the room, looking towards the posters that were painstakingly hung and rehung until they were absolutely level and straight. Her roommate was a nerd, that was for sure. And she had a serious thing for gaming. Probably the only reason she stayed back as well was because the internet speed was faster on campus than it was at her home.

She didn't dislike her roommate even though they were so different. She could appreciate the quiet and occasionally snarky girl. They respected each other's boundaries. She couldn't ask for a better roommate. But she just wished that the girl would get out more. Being an extrovert herself, she couldn't really understand the other girl's homebody lifestyle. Yang wanted to introduce her to Vale's nightlife. She wanted to show her how fun social interactions could be. She wanted to help the girl come out of her shell.

Heh. Even when her roommate wasn't around she was still in her thoughts. Yang hummed, now that she thought about it, the other girl didn't have a lot of friends. She was a lot like Ruby – a loner that meant well but wasn't good at expressing herself. It was probably that likeness that had her so interested in helping her. Though, that was where their similarities ended as they had nothing else in common from her perspective.

Staring back at the off white ceiling that could be found in every dorm room, she let her thoughts blend into the melody flooding the small room. Ruby would be finishing high school soon. The younger girl had expressed interest in coming to the same university as the blonde, but she had no faith in herself. Yang had no doubt that she would be accepted and she'd let her know as much when she'd called a few days back. Ruby had always been a bright girl when she'd decided to apply herself to something. This time would be no different. Anyway, Ruby would be getting her acceptance letter soon since it was around that time again. And yes, it would be an acceptance letter because it couldn't be anything else.

If anything, regardless of the outcome, she just wanted Ruby to get out of Patch. If she could have brought the younger girl along with her when she'd left two years ago, she would have in a heartbeat. The situation at home wasn't toxic per say, just not the picture of a perfect family dynamic. Sure they had their dad, but he was the problem. She couldn't hate him for it, though. At least he stuck around and would sometimes try to be there for them. He made sure they got in school and didn't starve to death. He gave them things they'd asked for and sometimes took them out to the beach. He tried.

But that didn't change the fact that he would shut them out so often. Or the fact that he became an alcoholic for a few years. If it wasn't for Uncle Qrow finally coming around and setting him straight, she had no idea what would have happened to her and Ruby. Funny that it took a high functioning alcoholic to set another straight. But Uncle Qrow had made it work. Their dad got off the drinks and tried to get back into life. She could see that it was hard on him with her just being another color palette of her mother and Ruby practically becoming the spitting image of Summer. She had no idea what it was like for him to be stuck with her after her mother walked out on them, but she could remember just how broken he'd became after Summer's death. It hurt them all, but he never fully recovered.

He probably stuck to himself now more than ever. Over the years, Ruby had really come to look like Summer and Yang just knew that as they got older, the similarities would only become clearer. She knew that Ruby knew that as well. It was a shame that Summer left them so soon; Ruby wouldn't be able to fully appreciate the resemblance since she couldn't remember their mom. But Yang would make sure that she knew that looking like Summer was something to be proud of, no matter how much their unintentionally dad made it seem like it wasn't.

There would be time for all of that later, though. For now, she had to think about what she would do with this next semester. There were things that needed to be done, and namely, roommates that needed to be opened up.

* * *

 _ **So, hello again all...**_

 _ **This is the first RWBY fanfic that I've decided to actually upload (though its far from the first one I've written this year). I'm not sure how I feel about it and I'm definitely not sure where its going, but I'm going to ride it to wherever the words take me.**_

 _ **The updates don't have a schedule at the moment and I really doubt that they ever will. I'll post when I have something that I feel will work after I've looked it over a few times and edited the chapters. The good news is that I'm well into chapter two so hopefully that will come out soon, but don't quote me on that.**_

 _ **With that being said, I'll just leave it at that. -Alynna**_


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Everything was spinning.

That was the first thing she noticed after waking that morning. The room flowed around her in an endless circle – almost in time with her speeding heartbeat, though she had doubt that anything could match the rate at which the small organ pulsed within her chest. Everything turned, circling around her over and over again. She laid there, on her back and covered in sweat, trying to focus on one point on the ceiling above her bed just to center herself. It helped and yet it didn't. If anything, it just made her want to close her eyes again with hopes that maybe if she went back to sleep, she would wake up feeling normal.

For a second, she considered panicking. Really, it was just a passing thought and it left almost as quickly as it had come. She wouldn't panic. She would not be scared of this. She would get through this. She just had to wait for the feeling to pass.

This was not the first time she'd felt this. But it was the first time she'd ever just woken up to it. She wasn't prepared for it and its lack of warning left her mentally scrambling for a way to calm down. She just needed to breathe – keep breathing evenly, steadily – and focus on making sure those deep puffs of air cycled through her lungs completely. She needed to focus on breathing and not how her heart felt like it could thump its way out of her chest and onto the mattress beside her.

She tried to remember what could have set her off, but her mind just wasn't up to recalling things that had turned her into a ticking time bomb. Her head felt empty, weightless. Her brain seemed stifled. She raised her hand, placing the palm on her forehead and closed her eyes. Even that small amount of movement left her feeling drained. Her skin brushed and pressed against the drenched bangs covering her forehead, pushing the dark hair away from her face. Just how was she supposed to make it through the rest of the day when she couldn't even get herself out of bed?

It was so hot, too. Her tank top clung to her, it being so drenched in sweat now that the fabric had darkened. The thin blanket that she'd used to cover herself with last night laid crumpled on the floor at the foot of her bed, neglected and forgotten for what was probably hours now. She didn't remember kicking it off but was glad that it was gone. It was a small blessing, just like the window to the left of her room – the only window the room had – that she'd decided to leave wide open the night before. The drawn back curtains, fluttered with small movements. There was a breeze, it seemed, even though she couldn't feel it.

Her body hummed. She could feel her blood rushing beneath her skin, running through her veins and arteries swiftly. It made her want to move. So she settled for sliding her hand down over her eyes and rubbing the tired, bleary orbs.

With her sight blocked, her thoughts wandered and settled on the nadolol that was just a few inches from her. The girl had almost forgotten about the little pills. She knew that her medicine was on the nightstand. All she had to do was sit up and reach for it. The small bottle filled with those chalklike, little circular pills sat right next to the water she'd put out last night. There was no doubt that the liquid had warmed over the amount of time that it'd been sitting there, but she would down it all just to make sure she got the taste of that medication out of her mouth. She hated them, but she would have to take them.

But, God, if sitting up didn't seem like the hardest thing to do in the world right now.

She slid her hand down further, passing over the rest of her face and passed her neck, where it paused. Her pulse was pounding, the skin thudding against her fingertips as blood flooded through her veins. Her hand moved again, coming to rest awkwardly over her heart. From what she could feel of it, it was finally starting to slow back down even though its rhythm was still so irregular. How long had she been laying there? And how much longer would this take? Would it be like this – her having to stop completely and try to get control over herself – every time? The only answer she could come up with was that she didn't know.

Her eyes opened, gaze resting on the ceiling again, as the sound of footsteps padding down the hall reached her. Someone – probably Yang since she was sure that her dad wouldn't even consider bothering her while she was in her room – was coming, and as much as she didn't want another person to see her like this, she still found herself being silently thankful when the thudding steps paused outside her door. The few mild knocks were a godsend that only increased in volume when she couldn't bring herself to answer them immediately. Then as the door slowly slung open and her sister stepped in – still in her sleepwear with her hair a complete mess – she'd never felt so relieved in her life. Really, she could feel her heart lessen its pace again.

"Ruby, come on. Get up."

The command was mumbled at her and the sound of Yang's voice soothed her. She half moaned and half groaned in response prompting Yang to finally look at her passed the hand that was rubbing at her own pair of lilac eyes. The shift from having the bare minimum of awareness of her surroundings to overwhelming concern for her on the blonde's face had Ruby smiling shakily. Yang seemed more distressed than she had been when she woke up earlier. Or maybe she was just better at expressing how she felt; but thinking back on it, Ruby hadn't really felt concerned over her state. Confused? Maybe, yes… Definitely. But not concerned. Yang's lilac orbs bounced around for a moment, probably looking for the same medicine the bedridden girl had been thinking about minutes ago, and landed on the nightstand.

She strutted over to it quickly, her strides wide. Hands gripped, pressed, and twisted open the pill bottle, shaking out two of those awful flavored lifesavers, and she sat on the edge of the mattress with her hand now above Ruby's mouth, "Open up."

Opening her mouth had to be the easiest thing she'd done this morning, though dealing with the taste of those pills sitting on her tongue while the blonde helped her sit up so she could finally drink some water was not something she wanted to do often. The shift in position brought back her earlier dizziness, the feeling hitting her hard, and her head fell to rest on Yang's chest. With the room spinning again and the aftertaste lingering in her mouth, she wanted to puke. She sighed through her nose, not trusting herself to do so normally for fear of actually vomiting in bed and on Yang.

Yang sat with her, rubbing her back in small circles while still holding the half emptied glass of water. She could feel her sister's eyes burrowing into the top of her head. She could practically imagine the fear and concern swirling in the blonde's irises. "I should call Dad."

Ruby shook her head, digging it further into the taller girl's collar. She did not want her dad in there, and especially not right now. It was bad enough that Yang had shown up – as grateful as she was for that. She didn't want him to worry over her, and she especially didn't want him to hover over her for the rest of the day. Things were already awkward between them, with everything that had happened over the last few months. They would be busy enough with everything else, anyway.

"No Dad, then," Yang sighed. With her head still on the older girl's chest, she could clearly hear how the air fled from the blonde's lungs heavily. "Want some more water?"

She nodded this time, hands coming up to grasp at the glass and her sister's wrist. She was trembling, but starting to feel better – enough to gulp down the other half of her drink and slightly push herself off of Yang. The room wasn't turning on itself as much as it had before and her chest had calmed down quite a bit since she'd woken up. It would be a while yet before her head stopped feeling like it was floating, but that was nothing she couldn't deal with. Yang's other hand was still glued to her back, filling that small area with warmth while the rest of her sweat drenched top had cooled. It was comforting and she concentrated on the heat.

"Better?" the blonde asked. She'd put the glass back on the nightstand and brought her right hand between them. Ruby found her own being covered by it as the older girl gripped them, taking her clammy palms into a firm hold. Yang was warm – she'd always had this constant blanket of heat around her, wrapping her like some kind of force field.

"Lots," she breathed.

"If you're not feeling up for it, don't push yourself. We still have a week before classes start. We don't have to go today."

Ruby appreciated the concern. But as she raised her head and finally met her sister's eyes with her own, she told her, "I'm fine. I'll take it easy, but I'm not going to put this off." She sat up further, willing strength into her limbs to give off the appearance that she was as ok as she wanted Yang to believe. It probably didn't do much, given how pitiful she looked with her hair sticking to her face and neck coupled with the slouch in her posture, but it would have to do for now. "Help me to the bathroom?"

Yang spared her a reluctant look so she flashed her a small grin. Ruby resembled and felt like a kicked puppy – and she guessed that was why Yang gave her a longsuffering sigh before helping her to her feet. The blonde's arm looped around her back before her hand latched onto her side. Ruby felt her arm being draped across Yang's shoulders, the tugging and support giving her the balance needed to stand from her bed. Her sister didn't so much as grunt as her weight fell on her, forcing the older girl to readjust her grip.

"This whole family's stubborn," Yang grumbled to herself, though she probably didn't care whether Ruby heard her or not. She took their first steps slowly, testing the water to make sure that Ruby could actually walk, before finding a pace that would work. Ruby kept up with their movement easily enough. Now that her episode had passed, she found herself more able to move, though that feeling of exhaustion lingered with every tensing and relaxing of her muscles. She'd just have to deal with that. It was like she'd just finished running a cross country course completely uphill. "What's wrong?" Yang asked as they made it into the hallway. The bathroom wasn't much further now – a little over nine more steps and she'd be there. Still, when she hadn't answered, Yang continued, "Something has to be bothering you to get you this worked up."

Her eyebrows scrunched together as she searched Yang's face for an answer to the blonde's question. She wished she'd had some excuse or explanation ready, but she was drawing a blank. So she settled for honesty. "I don't know."

Honesty was always the best policy, or so she'd been told. But it didn't always guarantee that the honest person would get the best responses. For what it was worth, Yang didn't push her for anything more than she had to give, because she honestly had nothing more to say than the words she'd just spoke. But she could almost predict – word by word – the next sentence to fly out of Yang's mouth when the blond shouldered the door open.

"You know you can tell me anything, right? No matter what. Or when. Or where. I'll always be there to listen."

"I know, Yang, but there really isn't much to tell. I don't know why it happened. I just woke up to it."

"Alright." Yang deposited her on the toilet and gave her a firm look over. She was clearly hesitant over leaving the shorter girl to her own devices, but she would trust her. If Ruby said she was up for something, then she was. Ruby did look better, much better than she had when the blond had found her in bed. But she did still have her limits, so she would compromise. "You have twenty minutes before I come back to check on you. I want to see you in your room, dressed, and ready for breakfast by then. Got it?"

By the end of her declaration, Yang had one hand on her hip and the other pointing two fingers just between Ruby's eyes. Ruby held back a chuckle; Yang could be such a mom sometimes. Though if she ever told her that, the blonde would probably pop a blood vessel over an indirect insult to her age. Or appearance. She did take her looks very seriously. "Yes ma'am."

"Good. I'll be back."

Ruby watched her pivot in place, "Thanks, Yang."

The blonde's hand gripped the wood of the door's frame, and she looked back over her shoulder. Her lilac orbs were gentle, caring. "Always."

 _Always_. Yang would usually say that after helping her. It wasn't that she couldn't just say 'you're welcome' because she has before – to her dad, uncle, friends – but she never said that to Ruby. Between them, 'always' had become a promise. It was almost reminiscent of an oath to where they would always be there for each other. No matter the circumstance, no matter the place, no matter the distance, no matter the reason; they would always have each other's backs. If Ruby had to guess back to when this whole 'always' thing started, she would have to say that it really started to stick somewhere around the time their dad had shut down.

At times, it had felt like it was just the two of them. When it was cold, they would have to figure out how to light the chimney. When they were hungry, they would cook together – which was more like Yang delegating all of the busywork she thought was safe to the younger girl while she handled the stove and such. When the food ran low, Yang would pester their dad until he gave them money, and they would rush out to the market and shop together. When she had a nightmare, Yang was there to hug her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. When she'd sprained her ankle because she'd tripped and had tumbled to the bottom of a hill, Yang was the one to find her and pick her up.

Yang was the one who'd always been there. _Always._

Twenty minutes didn't seem like a lot of time to shower, brush her teeth, and get dressed though Ruby found a way to make it work. Closing the door, she started her routine. To motivate her body into fully waking up and hopefully get rid of some of its tiredness, she turned the cold nozzle of the shower on to full blast. Just watching the icy spray hit the bottom of the tub and drift down the drain already had her regretting her decision. She peeled off her top, her nose crinkling as the smell of drying sweat passed her face, and threw it in front of the door. Her bottom clothing soon joined it, creating a messy pile, and she began pep talking herself.

"This is gonna suck, and I mean, _really_ suck. This is so gonna suck," she repeated a few times. Perhaps she should reevaluate what pep talks actually were. Letting the lines pass through her lips one last time, she dove under the spray, the water drenching her just as fast as she had interrupted its path. She couldn't help but let out a breathy whimper as her arms reflexively wrapped around her chest. That was just as bad as she thought it would be. "If I wasn't awake before, I am now."

Reaching forward, she turned the hot water nozzle up as well and shivered as she waited for the water to level out. It warmed slowly, the heat starting at her scalp and soaking through her hair before traveling down her neck and over the curve of her shoulders. It was almost funny how she'd been too hot earlier, but now all she wanted was to feel the heat. She could feel her muscles relax as the clear liquid washed over her, dissolving some of the tension that plagued her.

* * *

Surprisingly, Ruby made it downstairs with three minutes to spare. She wasn't sure how she'd managed to pull that off, but she wasn't about to start complaining about it either. Her socked feet skipped down the wooden steps – quickly but cautiously – as she aimed for the kitchen. The scent of pancakes wafted towards her while she made her way down the final steps and rounded the corner.

"You're here," Yang greeted her, "I was just about to check on you, too. So much for that, I guess."

"I'd rather not have you barge in on me again while I'm getting dressed."

Yang tsked. "We're sisters. You don't have anything I haven't seen before." It would have been fine if the blonde had just ended things there, but of course, Yang couldn't let that happen. "But there are things that you don't have that I've seen."

Ruby rolled her eyes. She was well aware of her sister's trysts, with the most vivid of her memories originating around the time the blond was sixteen. The younger girl had to force down shudders at all the memories she'd had to repress over the two years Yang had decided to 'experiment.' It wasn't even that Yang had slept with a lot of people; quite the opposite, really. Yang was picky. Her lovers were few and far between, but those few had been invited over _a lot._ Four years later, and she still didn't want to think about it.

"I'm not saying that you need to go sleep with the nearest available guy or anything, but don't you think it's time you found yourself a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend. I'd be okay with that, too." Yang continued, completely oblivious to the thoughts Ruby was having.

"I'm not like you," Ruby quipped. It was hard to tell when Yang was joking about these things, but judging by the raised blonde brow and crooked smile being sent her way, she would guess that her sister did mean what she said. "I don't need other people around to have fun and I'm not looking for anyone right now anyway. I don't have time for that."

She punctuated her point by sitting down, her elbows coming to rest on their table as she crossed her arms and leaned forward. Yang shrugged and stacked three pancakes on a plate, "Bacon or sausage?"

"Bacon."

Yang nodded, sliding the meat beside the pancakes then filling the rest of the plate with scrambled eggs. She walked over, crossing the six feet between them carefully, and bent over to place the plate before the shorter girl. Her blond locks fell across her shoulder, brushing against her arm and the back of Ruby's chair as she leaned. She pushed them back when she'd straightened and playfully grinned, "That's always been your excuse, you know."

"What?" Ruby cocked her head.

"That you're busy. You always say that you don't have time for things, especially when it comes to making friends or just talking to new people in general," Yang explained as she stepped back over to the stove and grabbed food for herself. "One of these days you're going to have come out of that shell you've built around yourself. I really hope I get to be there to watch it happen."

"Nope. There is no shell – this is just how I am," she disagreed as she picked up a piece of bacon. She brought it to her mouth and took her first bite. It was delicious. As usual. "Haven't you learned anything from all those psychology courses you've had? Because you don't seem to be very good at figuring me out."

"Please," Yang huffed, "I practically raised you. I know you inside and out. You're just in denial."

"Nope. Wrong again."

The blonde gave her a skeptical look. "Whatever, just eat, midget."

Ruby paused before flinging her forkful of eggs at Yang. The soft food bounced off of her cheek and hands as she tried to block the projectiles. "I'm only three inches shorter than you!" It wasn't like her height was a sore spot for her or anything. Really, she was average – coming in at a solid five feet and five inches. If she were to be this height for the rest of her life, she could accept it. But she would not accept being teased about it by her sister who just happened to look like an Amazonian princess. Yang had always been the taller of the two. Genetics; they just weren't fair.

The older girl just laughed as she picked an egg out of the end of her hair. "Anyway, are you all packed? Uncle Qrow should be here soon and he said that we could head out whenever we're ready."

Ruby nodded. She'd made sure to pack everything she wanted to take just short of her sheets and pajamas the day before. "Everything's ready to be loaded up. Honestly, I could have drove there myself. It is my car now, after all. And you'll be on Bumblebee so it's not like Uncle Qrow has to come."

"He wants to," Yang waved her hand like she had more to say but didn't feel like actually saying it. Then she sat back and stretched, her arms lifting above and then out to the sides as she arched her back. "Dad's gonna meet us there," she yawned out, stretching the words.

"I can't help but feel like it should be the opposite, you know?"

Yang rolled her eyes, but Ruby knew that the action wasn't towards her. The blonde was silently agreeing yet also not delving any further into it. They sat together, finishing their food in silence, though for the most part, the lack of conversation wasn't uncomfortable. Ruby glanced at her sister; the blonde seemed to be deep in thought as she slid around her final cut of pancake around half of her syrup covered plate. The thick liquid slowly soaked into it, making it soggy and just a little unappealing. Yang either didn't notice or didn't mind how saturated it was as she brought it up to her mouth and downed it in one go.

The sound of an engine and crunching dirt broke her observation – and Yang's musings – as her attention was shifted from the quiet girl before her to the screen door she could just barely see in the living room. There came a muffled slam and shortly after heavy thumps as their guest made their way into the house. The slow rhythm was unmistakable and Ruby found herself out of her seat before the older man could even pull the door open. In the back of her mind, she could hear Yang chuckling at her as she gathered their dirtied plates. She flew through the doorway and slid into her uncle as he finally stepped inside; her arms wrapped firmly around his waist as her head came to rest chin first on his chest. Her silver eyes gleamed upwards at him, striking amused red as they smiled at each other.

"Missed me?" Qrow's voice sounded, starting their customary greeting.

"Nope."

He laughed softly, bringing up his hand to ruffle her hair and push her off. "Whatever, Twerp. You and Fireball ready to go?"

"Yeah, we just need to take everything out to the car."

"Good, but first thing's first," Qrow dung around his pocked, pulling out his flask before switching it to the other hand. He paused, and for a moment, Ruby thought that he was going to take a swig, but the older man seemed to decide against it. His free hand dove back into his pocket and he pulled out a keyring. "This is now yours. Treat her well." She reached for it, taking it small items into her palms. And Qrow unscrewed the cap from his flask so that he could take the first of what would be many gulps. She quirked her brow at him and he shrugged. "If I'm going to be riding with you, I'm going to drink. And before you try to argue about how good a driver you are, remember that I taught both you _and_ Yang how to drive. You're not as much of a thrill seeker as Fireball can be on her bike, but you aren't that steady of a driver, either. It's a wonder you both got your licenses, even with me as your instructor."

He took another few sips, his throat bobbing with each swallow. "Just promise me that you won't accidentally run over somebody in Vale."

Ruby pouted. "Stop exaggerating. I'm a great driver."

"I know you are, Twerp." Qrow sighed and recapped his flask. He would need what was left of it for the thirty-minute trip to get to the ferry.

* * *

 ** _Hello again..._**

 ** _Sorry for not updating sooner. But it's like I said last time, I don't have a set direction for this story. I mean, I know how I want the general ending to go, but getting there is completely still up in the air as far as planning goes. So we're all in this together while this story continues to write itself. And its really being iffy - this is the... sixth version of chapter two that I've written over the last few weeks. Number Six... I'm so irritated with myself because each draft has been just a little over four thousand words in length, but I couldn't deem them good enough. Then this one comes along, and I'm like - Why couldn't I have written you first?!_**

 ** _Apparently, it looks like I will be taking this story slowly. There will probably be faster paced chapters because of character interaction, but since this story revolves mostly around the emotions and bonds formed between everyone, a slow pace is how I want to go. It feels better for me, and I feel like I can give each character the time and attention they deserve._**

 ** _There is an explanation for how Ruby was feeling towards the start. Basically, I needed a reason for Summer's passing (and a reason for some of the decisions Ruby will have to make later on) and since the canon explanation wouldn't work here, I did some research on genetic diseases. A day's worth of googling things later and I decided to go with Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia, or CPVT for short. I can't even pronounce it, but it was the best option other than saying that she died in a car accident, fire, burgulary, etc. I didn't want to hurt Summer. So for anyone who might have this condition or any doctor out there who has experience with patients who have this, I'm telling you right here, right now, that I don't know much beyond the small information I could find by internet search. If I didn't portray it correctly, then I am so very, very sorry about that. I would love it if someone would share their experiences and let me know where I fell short so that I can hopefully do better next time it shows up._**

 ** _So we still don't have an update schedule. I'll try to do better with the next chapter. There will be more Qrow. There will finally be Taiyang. There will finally be a Ruby in Vale. And there might be a cameo of Blake. All of this is still unwritten so we will just have to see._**

 ** _And Jesus guys! 40 Followers! 18 Favs! I can't even tell you how surprised I was at this. This is amazing! You all are amazing! Thank you so, so much!_**

 ** _Lastly and most importantly, to my reviewers: (Because you are all especially special to me)_**

 ** _Ark Immortal: Thanks for the kind words and being my first reviewer. I'm glad you found it interesting and you were right in thinking this would be a slice-of-life work. So far, that's what its turning out as. I don't know if this chapter met your expectations so let me preemptively apologize now if it hasn't. I did think of making it longer, but I didn't want to force the words or drag it out. It was really hard to write._**

 ** _The Unicorn Astronaut: I really didn't want to have you wait so long for a chapter. Your review was so energetic - it always makes me grin when I read it. You know, I hadn't really thought about how detailed it was until you pointed it out. Then I went back and read it again (like I hadn't read it over five times by that point) and thought, 'Wow. What have I done? How am I going to keep this up? Well... I might have just fucked myself big time.' You gave me a real eye opener. Though I am sorry that this chapter isn't set up in the same four person part format I had earlier, but I want to take time to focus on each character individually and give them their own chance at the spotlight as the story takes shape. I hope I didn't disappoint you too much._**

 ** _GrnDrgnzrd: Thank you for reading my story. I as well would like to see what I can do with it. If only it would quit fighting with me._**

 ** _Guest: I don't know who you are, but I really hope you continue to show up every once in a while. I seem to be saying this a lot, but sorry if this chapter wasn't what you were looking forward to. I am trying to do better._**

 ** _uberparagon: I'm glad you liked it. I hope you liked this chapter, too, but I won't really know if you did or not unless you reveiw again. Sorry in advance if you didn't._**

 ** _Sorry for the lengthy author's note, but this is usually why I save them for the end. Thanks for reading. - Alynna_**


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